Omar Bennett
The Constitution of a country is a very important document that sets out the rules for how the country is governed. The US Constitution is made up of three parts, which are sometimes called 'clauses'. The first part is called the 'preamble' and it introduces the document and explains why it is important. The second part explains how the government is structured, and the third part explains how laws are made and changed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Preamble | Sets the stage for the Constitution and communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document |
| Article I | Establishes the way in which congressional districts are to be divided among the states |
| Article V | Establishes the amendment process |
| Article XII | Allows each party to nominate their team for president and vice president |
| Rules | Each House is the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members |
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What You'll Learn
The Preamble
The Constitution is like a rule book that explains how the government works and what it can and cannot do. It is the highest law of the land and everyone, including the government, must follow these rules. The Constitution is made up of three parts: the Preamble, the Articles, and the Amendments.
The first three words of the Preamble are "We The People". This is important because it shows that the government is created by the people and for the people. It means that the people are the bosses and the government works for them. The Preamble also talks about creating a "more perfect union". This means that the states are united and work together as one country. It also mentions "justice", which means fairness, and "domestic tranquility", which means peace and harmony within the country. The Preamble also talks about protecting the country from attack and ensuring that the government is run properly.
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Congressional Lawmaking
The US Constitution is like a rule book that explains how the government works. It is split into three parts, or as we call them, "branches". Each branch has a different job and works with the others to make sure the country is being looked after properly. The three branches are: Judicial, Executive, and Legislative. The Legislative branch is also known as Congress, and it is responsible for making laws.
Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state, and they serve six-year terms. The House of Representatives has 435 members, and the number of representatives from each state depends on the state's population. These representatives are elected by the people in their state and serve two-year terms.
Congress is responsible for proposing and passing laws, which are called bills before they become laws. Anyone can propose a bill, from citizens to members of Congress. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. These committees are made up of members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and they work together to improve the bill.
After the committee finishes working on the bill, it is put before the whole chamber of either the Senate or the House of Representatives to be voted on. If the bill passes in one chamber, it goes to the other chamber to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. If the bill passes in both chambers, the two versions of the bill are combined into one, and any disagreements are worked out. This is called "resolving differences". Once the differences are resolved, the bill becomes a law!
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Amendments
The US Constitution is a very important document, but it is not set in stone. The people who wrote it knew that over time, the nation might want to make some changes to it. So, they included instructions on how to do this. This is called the amendment process.
There have been some famous amendments to the Constitution. One is the Twelfth Amendment, which changed the way the President and Vice President are chosen. Before this amendment, the person who got the second-most votes in the election for President became the Vice President. But the Twelfth Amendment says that the President and Vice President should be chosen separately. It also says that they should not be from the same state.
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The Three-Fifths Compromise
In the end, the writers of the Constitution agreed that each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person when deciding how many representatives a state could have. This meant that the Southern states had more power in the House of Representatives than the Northern states. The Three-Fifths Compromise also decided how much money each state would pay in taxes, with the Southern states paying more because of the number of enslaved people they had.
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Presidential Elections
The Constitution is like a rule book that explains how the President and the government are chosen, and what they are allowed to do. It is the highest law of the land. The Constitution explains how the President is elected, and what they must do when they become President.
The President of the United States is elected by the people, but not directly. This is because the people's votes are cast for a group of people called electors, who are part of the Electoral College. Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its members in Congress. So, each state has one elector for each of its members of the House of Representatives, and one for each of its two senators. The District of Columbia has three electors.
The electors are expected to select two candidates for office. One of these candidates must not be from the same state as the elector. The electors meet in their states and vote by ballot for these two people. They then make a list of the people and the number of votes each person received. This list is sent to the US government. The candidate with the most votes becomes President, and the person with the second-highest number of votes becomes Vice President.
The Tuesday after the first Monday in November is election day. This date was chosen because, historically, many Americans were farmers. Early November was a good time for farmers to vote because the harvest was over, and it was not a day they would usually spend at church or market.
The President must be a natural-born citizen of the United States and at least 35 years old. Before they start the job, they must take an oath:
> "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution is made up of three parts: the Preamble, the main body, and the Amendments. The Preamble is an introduction to the document and outlines the intentions of the framers. The main body is divided into seven Articles, each further divided into Sections, which describe the framework for the US government. The Amendments are changes that have been made to the Constitution over time.
The Preamble sets the stage for the Constitution and communicates the intentions and purpose of the document. It is not a law itself but serves as an introduction to the highest law of the land.
There have been 27 Amendments to the Constitution to date. The first ten Amendments are known as the Bill of Rights and were ratified in 1791.
The process for amending the Constitution is outlined in Article V. Amendments can be proposed by Congress or by a Convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. In either case, Amendments become valid and binding as part of the Constitution when ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or Conventions.
